November 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st –  Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “House Fire”

Judge’s comments: The layering here of the components of responding to a fire are stacked nicely, and draw the viewer to the action in the bottom lefthand corner of the rule of thirds grid.

General News
1st – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Parade”
2nd – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Remembrance Day”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Vigil”
HM – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, “Voting”

Judge’s comments: The midair moment here is frozen so nicely — with the action and angle reflecting the geometry of the building in the background strongly. The composition is well thought out and the action draws the viewer into the moment.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Sparks”
2nd – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Mystery Drums”
3rd – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Veterans Day”
HM – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Northern Lights”

Judge’s comments: Aside from the strong layering of the speckles of sparks flying off the old windows that reveal Pete’s face, it is the contrast of colors from the sparks to the bright blue sweatshirt that catches the viewer’s eyes and directs them right to the strongly lit and focused-upon subject.

Sports Action
1st – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Touchdown Run”
2nd – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Tug”
3rd – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Rebound Battle”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Collision”
HM – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Dunk”

Judge’s comments: The midair action here has the quarterback floating amid a sea of opponents and rainfall. Not only that, but the repetition — and subsequent break from the pattern with the athlete on the floor — carries the viewer’s eye across the moment in the photo strongly.

Sports Feature
1st – Daniel Carlson / The Blade, “Warm Up”
2nd – Daniel Carlson / The Blade, “Soccer Fans”
3rd – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Signing Autographs”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Whitmer Celebration”

Judge’s comments: The lighting in this frame is superb, and the composition is well balanced. It illustrates the anticipation of the game as the players warm up.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Bill Schultz”
2nd – Daniel Carlson / The Blade, “Sven”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Garrison Kruse”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Tyler”

Judge’s comments: The lighting upon Bill here is superb, and the toning is done so well. The sharpness upon his eye is strong, and the viewer is immediately drawn to his expression almost without noticing his missing left arm at first. This is a gentle way of expressing his physical differences without gawking at his missing arm.

Essay
1st – Addison Annis / The Blade, “Generational Harvest”
2nd – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, “Cross Country”
3rd – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, “First Snow”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Vigil”

Judge’s comments: This photo essay truly brings the viewer into the life of the Farnsel’s family, and their farm. Each photo is unique, and shares a special piece of their story. Addison’s attention to details here helps zoom in and out on various moments, from the small moments to the hard work happening at the farm. 

Judged by Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago

October 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st
2nd
3rd
HM – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, No Bill Protest

Judge’s comments:  Not entirely sure a protest counts as spot news, but I like the framing and is better than most protest images of late in the news.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Lotus Rain
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, Naturalization Ceremony
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Protesters 

Judge’s comments:  First place is a great image from a tough story. 2nd place is a great moment from what can sometimes be a dull ceremonial event. 3rd place – I can hear the officer reasoning with the protester, something tough to do with a still images. Congrats to all. Great category.

Feature
1st – Wesley Blackburn / Daily Advocate, Chicken Judging
2nd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, Costume Contest
3rd – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, Homecoming Royalty
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Farm to School

Judge’s comments:  1st – What a different image from a routine assignment – the photographer avoided the mundane and captured the mood. 2nd – great layering and it needs no caption to describe the content. 3rd – fun moment from a gig that’s probably assigned more than once a season. HM – It’s all about the light here.

Sports Action
1st – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images, Loose Ball
2nd – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, Header
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Blocked Punt

Judge’s comments:  1st – nice and clean and tack sharp. 2nd – good cropping and getting a good header is tough, especially at night. 3rd blocked punts always make great frames and the photographer was in the perfect position. A note to almost all submitters – tighter cropping would help many of these images.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, Walleye Media Day
2nd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images, Celebration
3rd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images, Locker Room Celebration

Judge’s comments:  1st – what a fun picture and a different way to cover such a mundane event. 2nd – love a good jubilation photo and this one has it all. 3rd – good framing and a fun moment from an often inaccessible space.

Portrait
1st – Andrew Dolph / Akron Beacon Journal, Mr. Magnetic
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Retiree
3rd – Addison Annis / The Blade, Veggies

Judge’s comments:  1st – nicely lit with great color, though it could have benefited from a kick/reflector to lighten eyes. 2nd – very nice candid portrait that captures the life still left in his aging body. 3rd – great light and color

Essay
1st – Wesley Blackburn / Daily Advocate, Soy Bean Harvest
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, Gaza Protest
3rd – Addison Annis / The Blade, Schmucker’s 

Judge’s comments:  1st – good package on a harvest, but would have liked to see another frame of how the tariffs are affecting the family. 2nd – You can tell from the images that the police were in a tough spot and tried everything to avoid having to arrest the protestors. 3rd – The presented edit felt more like a collection of details without the resulting emotion from losing a business. The exterior image submitted in the general news category would have helped with this.

Judged by John Martin, John F Martin Photography, Detroit

September 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Apartment Fire”
2nd – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Body Found”
3rd –

Judge’s comments: The subjects’ reactions in Rebecca Benson’s photo tells the whole story.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Apartment Tour”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Slum Lord”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “September 14, 2025”
HM – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Manufacturing Day”

Judge’s comments: This was a tough one, everyone’s was so special, but Jeremy’s composition in his photo was incredible and creative

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Owens Rings”
2nd – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Aha Dance”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “County Fair”
HM – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Splatter Paint”

Judge’s comments: My favorite category! We picked Jeremy’s because of the lighting, color and composition, it’s a great reminder to get creative with the angles.

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Volleyball Under the Lights”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Touchdown Dive”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Touchdown”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Slide Tackle”
HM – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Gang Tackle”

Sports Feature
1st – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Running Drills”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “Talking to Coach”
3rd – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Drum Reflection”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Mom Squad”

Judge’s comments: This one was tough but the ray of sunlight in Addison’s football practice photo was perfection.

Portrait
1st – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Surprise Visit”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Hype Video”
3rd – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Community Gem”

Essay
1st – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Sidelines”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “Charlie Kirk Vigil”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Mural”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Cadets”

Illustration
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Scallops”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Candied Cherries” 
3rd – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Whitefish Pea Corstinie”
HM – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Whitefish Pea Corstinie”

Judge’s comments: You guys should make these tiny prints/ postcards

Judged by Abra Richardson, Santino Mattioli and Greg Wickliffe from MLive

August 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st –
2nd –
3rd –

Judge’s comments: The essential requirement for Spot News is to convey an active or urgent news scene. None of the images submitted meet that standard. Therefore, I have granted no awards in this category.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Move In”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “Murder Trial”
3rd – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Fair at New Boston”

Judge’s comments: The images awarded in this category elevated standard coverage through strong execution and clear intention. Their success is a direct result of the planning required to be in the right place, combined with the patience to wait for the decisive moment. This focus is evident in the careful compositions and angles that successfully captured meaningful moments, conveying both information and emotion.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Cop Ball”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Rainbow Bird”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Bike Ride”
HM – Addison Annis, The Blade, “County Fair”

Judge’s comments: Both classic decisive moments and more aesthetic pictorials rose to the top in this category. All winning work demonstrated the patience and execution required to transform a simple scene into a photograph that truly makes the viewer feel something.

Sports Action
1st – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “Derby Smash”
2nd – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Tackle”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Volleyball Dive”

Judge’s comments: Peak action combined with nice composition…

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Squat Celebration”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Dog Days”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Water Break”

Judge’s comments: The emotional intensity of “SquatCelebration” secured its place at the top of this category. I was surprised not to see more images of celebration or defeat represented in the submissions. “WaterBreak” stood out for its exceptional technical quality, featuring beautiful lighting and composition. Finally “DogDays” was recognized – and elevated to 2nd place for me – specifically to underscore the critical importance of strong captions . While the image itself was visually sound, its clever slug made all the difference, serving as a reminder that the complete package—image plus caption—is essential for impactful photojournalism. In general, I noticed the reporting in the captions across submissions was thin.

Portrait
1st – Andrew Dolph, Akron Beacon Journal, “Coach Lancaster”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Winery”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Melina Schrader”

Judge’s comments: This category really brought home the importance of strong captions and supporting information. The most impactful entry was the evocative portrait of the coach, which secured first place based on its powerful visual strength alone. However, the accompanying caption fell short, lacking the supportive information needed to fully contextualize the image’s mood and tone. A story-telling caption would have significantly amplified its impact. The same can be said for the “Schrader” portrait. In contrast, the “winery” portrait was a successful combination of image and text. The photographer not only made a pleasing image of the couple, but deliberately composed the scene to reflect the “Speakeasy” theme of the restaurant, a detail I came to appreciate through the caption. This effort to infuse layered information into the entire submission elevated the entry.

Story
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jeep Parade”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Civil War”

Judge’s comments: The “Jeep Parade” essay is a fun collection of moments on and off the parade
route, showing a nice mixture of angles, creativity and sense of humor.

Judged by Liz O. Baylen, Senior Editor/ The Daily, NYT

July 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Shooting”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Starbucks Mishap”

Judge’s comments: The Starbucks Mishap photo is an almost. I wish the people’s faces were equidistantly spaced between the bars of the trailer. But the bigger issue for me is that the emotions are not clear. With part of the older persons expression being obscured by the piece of wood, we’re relying heavily on the body language we can see and the expression of the young lady hugging her. And for me, it almost like the younger lady is smiling. I’d be curious to see the other moments surrounding this one to see if there’s a different frame that clears these issues up.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Barber”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Liberty and Justice”
HM – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Kinsel Announcement”

Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Balloon Festival”
2nd Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Watermelon Contest”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Sunset Sihouette”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Lunch at Levi’s”

Judge’s comments: The balloon fest photo stands out to me because the first thing my mind did when I saw it was imagine what it would be like to be the other half the pictured person enveloped in this partially inflated hot air balloon.That was the only image where I had that visceral of a reaction, so it was an easy choice for first place.

Sports Action
1st –  Addison Annis, The Blade, “Wrestling Match”

Sports Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Foul Ball”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Family Time”

Judge’s comments: Easy first. This one brought a smile to my face, initially, and then as I began wandering the image it got better and better with each additional reaction adding something different. Amazing picture. The second place picture just makes me smile. There’s just something that’s so sweet about all of their expressions so that made it a real quick decision for me to award this second place.

Portrait
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Tim Carroll”

Story/Essay
1st – Bryant Billing, Dayton Daily News, “Fireworks”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “WNBA Camp”
3rd – Addison Annis, The Blade, “County Fair Life”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Balloon Festival”

Judge’s comments: Perhaps the notion of a first place award going to a fireworks show is ridiculous but this story is so chalk full of emotion. It’s just great. And some of the pictures made me laugh out loud when what was hidden in darkness was suddenly revealed by the light of fireworks. Just great. For the NBA camp, this does a few things for me. First of all, a lot of the submitted stories were wildly redundant and needed to be edited WAY down. This story, on the other hand, is short, succinct, and shows that more pictures is not necessarily better. It is also the only story with a face that occupies around 70% of the frame. I think these images are really important because in a way, they’re just such intimate portrayals of the people being photographed. There is so much value in being able to study a persons face in this way. Yes, it can be uncomfortable sometimes to make these kinds of pictures. But be more like this photographer. Let’s see those faces.

Judged by Joseph Scheller from The Montana Standard

June 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Addison Annis, The Blade, “Flipped Truck”
2nd:
3rd:

General News
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “No Kings Day”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Ear Exam”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Parade of Homes”

Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Big Machines”
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Blimps”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Handstand”

Judge’s comments:It was close between first and second, the photo of the airships might have finished higher if the names of the subjects had been included.

Sports Action
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Shortstop Tag”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Ball Hits Runner”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Bunker Shot”

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Walsh Jesuit Celebration”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Pickleball Clinic”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Celebration in the Rain”

Judge’s comments:First place quickly rose to the top. Nice “seeing” in the second-place image, and we would have welcomed a much tighter crop on the third-place photo, to put more emphasis on the emotion.

Portrait
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Victory Cigar”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Jack Ream”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jim Obergefell “

Story/Essay
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “State Softball”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “State Baseball”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Italian Bowl”

Judge’s comments:This was a difficult category, as many of the entries would have benefitted from tighter editing and more thought about what the photographer/publication were trying to say with the story. It seemed that every entry had lots of extraneous images that only distracted from the story.

Illustration
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Rasberry Parfait”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Blueberry Cloud Pie”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Tiramisu Martini”

Judged by Sid Hastings/Freelance (former St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Copley Chicago Newspapers and Robert Cohen/Retired (former St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Memphis Commercial Appeal)

May 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
(No Entries)

Judge’s comments: The lack of entries for spot news is disappointing.

General News
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Victim Impact”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Fort Meigs”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Jump”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Hats Off”

Judge’s comments: The first place is a strong, emotional moment and the clear leader in an overall visually strong category. Second place is a good peak frame catching the light of the gunpowder. Third Place is a fun, cute frame that is composed well and has lots of layers for my eye to wander. The horizon however could be a bit straighter. Honorable mention is a cute photo that would look great in print, but the caption is a bit lacking. Without a name, it isn’t as strong of a picture as the placing entries.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fishing”
2nd- Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Beethoven”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Bike Flying”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Emergence”

Sports Action
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Dive”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Leap”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Safe”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Hockey”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Big Win”

Judge’s comments: All amazing sports frames, but as always, clean backgrounds and faces are the key to elevating a strong image above the rest of the field.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Goal”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Rally Cap”
3rd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Teammates”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Hockey”

Judge’s comments: The Emotion shown in these winners, combined with a good understanding of light, truly elevated the winners.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Nancy Kowalski”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Golibe Aniagbos”
3rd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Ambulance Museum”

Judge’s comments: I would have loved to have seen more entries for this category. A good portrait elevates our stories.

Story
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Biggest Week”

Judge’s comments: I also would have loved to see more entries in this category.

Judged by Talia Sprague/Freelance

April 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Flood”
2nd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Fire”
3rd – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Storm Recovery”

Judge’s comments: Disappointed that there were only three entries. First place was the clear winner.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Matthew Exton”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Helping Hands”
3rd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Memorial”
HM – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Kid Mayor”
HM – Bryant Billing / Dayton Daily News, “Medal”

Judge’s comments: Judges felt this was the strongest category with some beautiful imagery and emotion. First place was intriguing enough to read caption and left wanting to know what was next. Second and third places were beautiful images, plain and simply. Well done, Ohio.

Feature
1st – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, “Birthday Party”
2nd – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Juggling”
3rd – Kurt Steiss / The Blade, “Tree Climbing”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Cleanup”
HM – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Holi Toledo”

Judge’s comments: Judges agreed First Place was just a beautiful slice of life moment that couldn’t be beat today. Second was a good angle and seeing by the photographer. Third was different enough to place. Kudos to the HM slug “HoliToledo.”

Sports Action
1st – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “Dust Up”
2nd – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images, “Rain Dash”
3rd – Andrew Dolph / The Times Reporter, “High Throw”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, “Header”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, “Steal”

Judge’s comments: Sport Action was the most difficult to judge. Any of the places could have been switched around, the judges felt each had their own strengths. Nice light, peak action, this was a toughie.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Silly”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Beach Football”
3rd – Rebecca Benson / The Blade, “Enter”
HM – Erik Schelkun / Elsestar Images, “Red Squad”
HM – Jeff Lange / Akron Beacon Journal, “Walk Off”

Judge’s comments: This was also a strong category with delightful imagery. Sometimes little kid shots can be cliché but this was just so joyful it stuck out. Who’d of thought Beach Football would have had great laying, peak action and color? Nice use of motion blur technique to make a beautiful moody image of the hockey player.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Punnam”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth / The Blade, “Taylor Shine”
3rd – Kurt Steiss/ / The Blade, “Dilapidated Property”

 Judge’s comments: For the longest time, the first-place image sat in our Photo Mechanic grid with just the top half showing. When we scrolled down to judge it, we were pleasantly surprised by the framing of the frames within the frame. Good light on the second-place image.

Story/Essay

(No Entries)

Judged by Jeffrey Sauger/Assistant Professor Photojournalism, Central Michigan University and Rodney Curtis/Photographer/Writer/Teacher/Vacumer at RodneyCurtis.com

March 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Body Found”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Car Fire”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Body Found”

Judge’s comments: The winning image brings to readers the shock and pain of sudden loss of a child.

General News
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Match Day”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Protest”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “River Otter”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Quiz Bowl”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Scooter”

Judge’s comments: The winning shot captured the excitement of match day in a way that words could not.

Feature
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Eid al-Fitr”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Flag Raising”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Kid Mayor”

Judge’s comments: This image respectfully brings us into a sacred space and still captures an adorable anomaly in the ritual.

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Foul”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Out at Second”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Steal”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Pin”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Bama Dunk”

Judge’s comments: This was a great collection of work and a tough decision. The winner edged out first place because they captured a split-second moment, with two great expressions that draw the reader into the moment. Hat-tip to second place for a great image that leaves readers wondering if the umpire was right.

Sports Feature
1st – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Champs”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Champion”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Celebration”

Judge’s comments: The winner is a great moment beyond the plexiglass where the expression on every face tells a story.

Portrait
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Media Day”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Brian Byrd”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Rookie”

Judge’s comments: The winning shot managed to convey a lot about the subject while also leaving the reader with more fun questions to wonder about.

Story/Essay
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Newcomerstown Fire”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “State Wrestling”

Judge’s comments: The coverage of the fire was thoughtful and included attention to the news and tolight in creative ways. (Judges note: Image 05 made me immediately and vividly remember the taste of the smoke at fires like this.)

Illustration
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Mocktail”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Lavender Mimosa”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Pulled Pork”

Judge’s comments: The mocktail was nicely conceived and well-lit. The highlights on the smoke were a nice touch.

Judged by Bill Cannon, USA Today

February 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Animal Rescue”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Waiting For Aid”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Fire”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Body Found”

General News
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Prayers”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Citizen”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Donation”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Author”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Sinkhole”

 Feature
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Resignation”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Orchid Show”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Facepaint”
HM – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Ice Fishing”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Sledding”

 Sports Action
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Wrestling Under Monolight”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Leap”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Rebound”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Big Dunk”
HM – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Blocked”

Sports Feature
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Semifinal Loss”
2nd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Red Scare”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Celebration”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Regional Champs”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Freestyle Champs” 

Portrait
1st – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Operation Saves”
2nd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Smelly”
3rd – Jonathan Aguilar, The Blade, “Jarrett Jenkins”

Judged by Rebecca Particka from the Scranton Times-Tribune

January 2025 clip contest results

Winning images

Spot News

1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Rescued Cat”

Judge’s comments: While it’s the only spot news entry, its worthy of a prize. The photographer makes up for the lack of flames in the photo with compelling moment away from the house fire.

General News
1st – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Crew Talk”
2nd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Polar Bear Plunge”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Skate”
HM – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Training”

Judge’s comments: First – Great use of light. It’s also the best composed photo of the category. In other situations, including the screen might be slightly distracting to the viewer. Paired with the expression on the subject’s face, it adds to the sense of curiosity and wonder. “You never know what you can do.” Good context in the cutline. Second – the event is a unique opportunity to photograph. The photo could’ve benefitted from more reaction to the seemingly frigid water. I would be interested to see more photos from the sequence. Overall, executed well. Third – A nice moment. The photo could’ve benefitted by the photographer getting closer to the subject or a tighter crop. HM – The photographer deserves mention for their anticipation and ability to capture the moment the casing is expelled from the rifle. It’s clear thought when into capturing the image.

Feature
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Splash”
2nd – Jonathan Aguilar, The Blade, “Mardi Gras”
3rd – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Ice Fishing”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Wolf Moon”

Judge’s comments: First – Technically sound frame. Could’ve benefitted from the horizon being straightened. Nice emotion and layering of the faces. 2nd – Really nice moment. Third – The layering of the photo takes the viewer almost through the entire process of ice fishing preparation. HM –  The silhouetted lifts are a unique image.

Sports Action
1st – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Takedown
2nd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Choke”
3rd – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “Ball Fight”
HM – Jeff Lange, Akron Beacon Journal, “American Wrestling”
HM – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Wrestling”

Judge’s comments: First – As far as peak action, this image stood out among all the basketball submissions. The photographer’s decision to go with a vertical crop led to a pretty clean background. Second – The bright blue mouth guard leads the viewers eye right to the grimace in the face of thewrestler. At 10000 ISO, I think the image suffers from some softness. Third – Among the basketball images submitted, this stands out. The image shows a lot of struggle in the faces of the athletes. HM – The lighting in the photo is beautiful. The display of sportsmanship is well captured. This image would’ve faired better up against the sports feature category. HM – Unique composition, but little action.

Sports Feature
1st- Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Buzzer Beater”
2nd – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Distraction”
3rd – Erik Schelkun, Elsestar Images, “Red Scare”
HM – Rebecca Benson, The Blade, “Celebration”

Judge’s comments: First – It’s difficult to get a clear view of this many players in a celebration shot. There’s a lot of eally nice expressions. Could’ve benefitted from better white balance, more information in the cutline and being slightly wider. Second – Credit to the photographer for looking beyond the action on the court. The result was a fun, silly moment. Third – Nicely composed photo. Suffers from the same issues as the first place photo. HM – Really like the focus here and layering. It’s not as clean of a composition as the first place image.

Portrait
1st – Jeremy Wadsworth, The Blade, “Leroy Bates”
2nd – Andrew Dolph, The Times Reporter, “Cy Young Home”
3rd – Kurt Steiss, The Blade, “Art Tatum”

Judge’s comments: First – It’s the cleanest composition among images submitted. The light is really nice and it provides the necessary context for who the subject is. Second – Really close second place here. The bright windows in the backgrounds are slightly distracting and lead the viewer away from the subject. Nice light and shallow depth of field. Third –  The expression on the subject’s face shows a lot of character.

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Judged by Isaac Ritchey (MLive.com / Grand Rapids Press)